The Railways’ total electrification drive and talk of phasing out diesel completely stem from a Power ministry policy proposal — Piyush Goyal was Power minister then — two years ago, pushing 100 per cent conversion to electric traction.

Trinamool MP Dinesh Trivedi termed the Budget “jumla” (rhetoric) and alleged the government had failed to resolve the problems of farmers or provide better health services, education and infrastructure.

In a worrying signal for the national transporter, the rate at which its establishment costs — salaries, pensions and other expenses — is increasing rivals the growth rate it projects for its revenues from all sources.

The NDA government charted out a plan for the Railways with a capital expenditure (capex) target of Rs 1.47 lakh crore and a revenue target of over Rs 2 lakh crore — the highest ever. It also pledged to upgrade the suburban railway network of Mumbai and Bengaluru.

Railway Budget 2018: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley pegged the capital expenditure target of Rs 1,48,528 crore for Railways, the highest ever. But, only about a third of this money is to be funded from the general exchequer’s coffers

Railways Minister Piyush Goyal is learnt to have fixed a target of around 20 per cent reduction in the transporter’s working expenses in 2018-19 to achieve better financial health by the end of the next fiscal.

Instead of being pulled by a locomotive, they are powered by traction motors fitted underneath each coach to render them self-propelled. Integral Coach Factory officials said the final product would be no less than their European counterparts.

Only the Chief Justice of India can order a probe by any investigative agency against the member (judicial) of the tribunal on the advice of the central government — in this case, the Railways Ministry.

According to a new policy decision, Parliament catering staff to be recruited by the Railways will have to be holders of diplomas in Food Production, Food and Beverage Service or Bakery and Confectionery, or graduates in Hotel Administration. These include chefs, kitchen help, waiters and even bakers.

Opposition parties have said that proposed new provision of getting vehicles registered by dealers, instead of the present practice of dealers going to the local Regional Transport Office for this, was an interference in a state’s domain of powers

The Secunderabad-based South Central Railways floated a proposal Friday for a six-day “recreation tour” of Singapore and Malaysia for non-gazetted serving employees. Interested employees have been asked to pay 25 per cent or Rs 15,000 via demand draft.

The move comes after the Punjab and Haryana High Court said in July, while hearing a case over the scheme, that it violated the Constitution on the 'principle of equal opportunity' for all in government jobs.

On October 6-7, a 700-ton boulder fell on the half-a-decade-old “bridge number 249” in the Araku Valley region of Andhra Pradesh; shattered its pier and rendered the country’s highest broad-gauge freight line useless.